Modi should have spoken on lathicharge at BHU: Congress

Terming Prime Minister Narendra Modi's radio address 'Mann Ki Baat' a "one-sided exercise", the Congress on Sunday said he should have spoken on police lathicharge on BHU girl students and journalists and police misbehaviour with protestors.

The party also urged the Prime Minister to reach out to the people and to understand their problems, who it said were reeling under inflation, unemployment, and constant attacks on women and children. It also urged him to speak on these issues.

"In three years, we have seen that this (Mann Ki Baat) is a one-sided exercise. This is the first Prime Minister who has not held a press conference, who only does one-sided communication. There is no mention of the serious issues facing the country.

"The country would like to know from him about jobs, inflation, tension in Kashmir and the border, and constant attack on women and children. This is unfortunate that he doesn't speak on these issues," Congress spokesperson Ajoy Kumar said.

"Modi-ji forgot to speak on the Banaras Hindu University (BHU), the manner in which police brutally lathicharged students and misbehaved with them by entering the girls' hostel. He even changed his route in Varanasi on seeing girls sitting on a dharna."

The Congress leader said: "This was Modi's 36th 'Mann Ki Baat'. Berozgari ki maar (unemployment), Beti par war (attack on women), Mahengai ki hahakar (inflation), Udyog pati jio-jio yaar (win-win situation for corporates), aisi rahi Modi sarkar. This has been the three years of Modi government.

"After three years, Modi realised it was not his 'Mann Ki Baat', this is 'janta ki baat' (people's voice). Unfortunately, he is still not able to understand people's problems," said the Congress leader.

Kumar said: "Modi spoke about khadi, cleanliness, and tourism. He said on October 2 (Mahatma Gandhi's birthday) everyone should buy khadi items so that the poor benefitted.

"But the Prime Minister doesn't know that the common people are pained by the rise in prices of dal, oil, cooking gas cylinders, and unemployment. And Modi's suggestion is 'to end poverty we should buy khadi items on October 2'.

The Congress leader said Modi also said a lot about cleanliness which was also a 'jumla' (pet phrase).

A number of students, including women, and journalists were injured in police lathicharge at the BHU on Saturday night. They were protesting against an alleged eve-teasing incident on the campus.

--IANS

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